Upthrow cushion-spring for vehicles.



G. L. THOMAS.

UPTHROW CUSHION SPRING FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MARS, 1908.

926,685. Patented June29, 1909.

Fig.1.

2x1 tn zoom nnrrnn sra rns chines.

CHARLES LEE THOMAS, OF CANISTEO, NEW YORh, ASSKiNOli OF ON i i-HALF lOFRANK GAULKINGS, OF )ANIISJEO, NEW YORK.

UPTHROW CUSHION-SPRING FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, {909.

Application filed March 3, 1908. Serial No. 419,065.

a citizen of the United States, resident of Canisteo, in the county ofSteuben and State.

of New York, have made a certain new and useful Invention in U pth rowCushion-Qprin gs I for Vehicles; and I declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description o'f the I view of the invention. Fig.5 is a side view of a modified form of spring, and Fig. 6 is a plan Viewof the spring.

The invention has relation to improved means for controlling the upwardmovement of the spring supported body of an automobile or other vehiclewith relation to the vehicle axles or running ear, or to check the uthrow of the body no to inequalities or 0 structions of the roadbed.

Another object is to relieve the vehicle springs of strain owing to thecauses above named, which frequently brings about breakage of suchsprings and may be of chariigter to cause serious accident and loss ofWith this object in view the invention consists of the novelconstruction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, the letters a,a, designate the axles of an automobile and b, the body thereof,supported from such axles by the springs c, c.

Each s ring controlling device (1, consists of a plum ity of uprightcoils a, (usually two) arranged side by side, an attaching arm 6, havingat one end connection with the upper portion of one end coil forming anextension thereof and at its opposite end connection with an upwardprojection f, of a clip f, attached to an end portion of the axle a; anda free arm g, arranged above the attaching arm in substantially the samevertical plane therewith and having connection at one end witn the lowerportion ol'the other end coil, forming an extension thereof. The arm 7,may cross the axle a, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 6 ol the drawings,when it is longer than the other arm 0, and is rcvcrsely bent at itsouter end at 72., to form a downturnod attachment loop 71., located whenthe arm crosses the axle at about the same distance therefrom on oneside as the coils a, are distant therefrom on the other side. The upperand lower free and attachment arms or coil extensions are located in thesame plane one. directly above the other and in the center of the coilsof the spring, being thus providcd with laterally bent end portions 0,and g, which cross each other. A leather strap connection '11, isprovided, having at tachmcnt at its lower end with the loop 72', and atits upper end attachment with a bracket attachment j, of the vehiclebody.

The strap'is provided with a buckle and suitable adjustment holes sothat any stretching thereof may he provided for or taken up.

In Fig. 5 of the drawing the upper free arm is shown of about the samelength the lower attachment arm. While in the draw ing the coils of thespring cl, are shown as having the planes thereof transverse orcrosswise with respect to the axle a, this is not re garded asessential.

One of the controlling devices (Z, is provided at each end of both axlesor at each corner of the vehicle, and the strap connections "i, beingadjusted to leave no slack therein, any upthrow of the vehicle body willimmediately act upon the controlling device or devices most subject tothe shock, to tighten the coils d, of the springs, which are at the sametime prevented from any sudden or violent action thereupon by the springcharacter of the long arms 9'. The result has been found in practice toeflectually check the upthrow of the vehicle body and to cause theautomobile to travel in a smooth and even manner upon rough roads. Theup er and lower free and attachment arms or coi extensions havingconnection respectively with the lower ortion of one end coil of thespring and wit the upper ortion of the other end coil and crossing eac 1other, a stiff spring is provided, the coils of the spring are tightenedu on upward movement of the body of the ve icle and strain is reduced atthe axle 'elip connection. The location of p said arms or extensions inthe same vertical plane is also of advantage in reducing strain at theaxle clip connection.

' Having described the invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

l A spring for checking the upward movement of a vehicle body,comprisingupright coils arranged side by side, an attaching armextension from the upper portion of one end coil having means forattachment to the running gear, and a free arm extension from the lowerportion of the other end coil crossing said attaching arm extension andprovided with a loop at its free end having means for flexibleconnection with the vehicle body.

2. A spring for checking the upward move- I ment of a vehicle body,comprising upright coils arranged side by side, an attachingarmconnected with the upper portion of one end coil and having means forattachment to the runmng gear, and afree arm connected with the lowerportion of the other end coil and having means for flexible connectionwith the vehicle body, said attaching arm 'being arranged below saidflee arm and in substantially the same vertical plane therewith.

3. The combination with the running gear and the body of a vehicle, of aspring for checking the upward movement of the body away from therunning gear, which spring comprises upright coils arranged side byside, an attaching arm connected with the upper portion of one end coiland secured to the running gear, and a free arm connected with the lowerportion of the other end'coil and flexibly connected with thevehicleflbody, said attaching arm being arranged below said free arm andin substantially the same 'vertical plane therewith.

4. A device for the purpose described, consisting of a coiled springhaving a lower arm substantially parallel to the planes of the coils andprovided with a laterally bent i end portion and an axle clam and anupper arm extending in the same irection as the lower arm and providedwith means for flexible connection with the vehicle body and a downwardand laterally bent end portion and. an upper long arm extending in thesame direction as the lower arm and provided with means for flexibleconnection with the vehicle body at the op osite side of the axle and adownward and aterally' bent' end portion crossing the inner end of thelower arm, the upper and lower arms being located in the same plane onedirectly above the other and in the center of the coils of the spring.

In testimonywhereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES LEE THOMAS.

lVitnesses:

H. E.'BUCK, T. J. MAGNER'.

